Abstract
Purpose: :
Under normal conditions the retina may be considered as a flat structure which exists by apposition of several layers. Fluorescein angiography (FA) is commonly used to diagnose pathological changes of the fundus oculi, such as the impairment of the blood-retina barrier, for example in age-related macula degeneration or in diabetic retinopathy. In these pathological conditions fluorescein leakages or convex deformations of the fundus can be observed. The stereoscopic FA of the fundus can demonstrate such deformations. Purpose of this study was to visualise the stereoscopic FA of the retina using an autostereoscopic display.
Methods: :
36 patients (24 female, 12 male; mean age 56±11, range: 40 to 82 years) with the clinical suspicion of having a convex distortion of the fundus in the macula's region in age-related macula degeneration were examined by means of stereoscopic FA (sequential recording method). The digital FA-stereo-pictures (1280x1024 pixels, differed by 256 greyscales) were converted into .jpg files and stored. Afterwards the pictures were visualised on an autostereoscopic 20.1 inch Free2C_digital display (Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications, Heinrich-Hertz-Institute, Berlin).
Results: :
Stereoscopic FA pictures are well visualised on the autostereoscopic display and reveal clearly the excavation of the papilla as well as the convex deformation (detachment of the sensorial retina, detachment of pigment epithelium) in the area of the macula. The images don’t fit stereoscopically exact and have been trimmed therefore. Different brightness and sharpness of the corresponding details in the stereo pair led to light stereoscopic rivalries which reduce the spatial perception.
Conclusions: :
The visualisation of stereoscopic FA is possible using an autostereoscopic display. This technology could improve the evaluation of the FA in macula diseases and, in addition, the quality of the retinal diagnosis.
Keywords: imaging methods (CT, FA, ICG, MRI, OCT, RTA, SLO, ultrasound) • clinical (human) or epidemiologic studies: systems/equipment/techniques • retina